Based on the novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald, Cape Fear is the story of a convicted rapist who has been released from a 14-year prison stint as he decides to go after the attorney who put him in jail through some moments of injustice. Directed by Martin Scorsese and screenplay by Wesley Strick that is based on James R. Webb‘s script of the 1962 film, the film is a remake/homage of sorts to the 1962 film of the same name as it plays more into a man who is hell-bent on making the life of a public defender and his family a living hell. Starring Robert de Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Illeana Douglas, Joe Don Baker, and special appearances from Martin Balsam, Robert Mitchum, and Gregory Peck from the 1962 film. Cape Fear is a thrilling and mesmerizing film from Martin Scorsese.
The film is a simple story of a released convict who served a 14-year sentence for a rape charge as he decides to make the life of the man, who put him in jail for mishandling his case, a living hell. It is a revenge story of sorts as a battle of wits and wills between this convict and an attorney yet it is the convict that feels wronged where an attorney’s past actions are catching up with him. Even as the sins of this attorney named Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte) have his own family live in fear but also wonder what did he do as Bowden is driven to the edge to protect them with the help of a private investigator where things don’t go very well.
Wesley Strick’s screenplay doesn’t just explore the dynamics of two men but also a growing sense of distrust towards Bowden from his wife Leigh (Jessica Lange) and daughter Danielle (Juliette Lewis). Especially as the former is suspicious of Sam’s supposed infidelities while the latter would have her own meeting with the convicted man in Max Cady (Robert de Niro) who would charm her. All of which adds to Bowden’s determination to rid of Cady one way or the other but at the cost of his own reputation and who he is as a man.
Martin Scorsese’s direction is definitely very stylish for not just the fact that he pays homage to the original 1962 film by J. Lee Thompson. It is also a film in which Scorsese pays homage to the many thrillers and suspense films of the past while doing something that is an update of sorts to those genres. Shot largely on location in South Florida as well as some sequences shot in Universal Studios Hollywood, the film does set itself in the American South but in a more modern idea of the South as it tries to maintain elements of tradition but in a world that is ever-changing. With its stylish usage of wide and medium shots along with some close-ups, Scorsese would go for something that is very stylistic in the way he would put actors into a frame where one would be in the foreground and the other in the background.
Scorsese also provides these moments that are quite surreal with its usage of different film stocks, color schemes, and moments that feel very artificial as it relates to the fear that is growing in Sam and his family. It says a lot to this kind of reality that Bowden has created but one that feels false where Cady would come in and disrupt everything as if he is this wronged man that is trying to make their lives a living hell. Featuring some dazzling imagery that includes this exotic opening credits sequence created by Saul and Elaine Bass that serves as a homage to the works of Alfred Hitchcock. It would add to the film’s unique look with some stylish camera angles that Scorsese would inject as it would also play into the film’s climax that is set on a river. The impact of the violence as well as some religious-based imagery would say a lot into what is happening where it does take place on this houseboat where it is about not just some truths coming out but also what one is willing to do to survive. Overall, Scorsese creates an exhilarating yet provocative film about a convicted rapist stalking and preying on lawyer for the sins he had committed.
Cinematographer Freddie Francis does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography with its usage of different film stocks and lighting schemes for some of the surreal sequences while creating some moods in the lighting for some of exteriors scenes in the day and at night. Editor Thelma Schoonmaker does brilliant work with the editing with its stylish montages for some of the more eerie sequences that play into Bowden‘s fear as well as some stylish rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense, drama, and much of its dark humor. Production designer Henry Bumstead, with set decorator Alan Hicks and art director Jack G. Taylor Jr., does excellent work with the look of the Bowden home to play into its sense of artificial world that Sam lives in to the look of the houseboat for the film‘s climax.
Costume designer Rita Ryack does nice work with the costumes from the more casual and clean look of the Bowden family to the stylish clothes that Cady wears. The hair/makeup work of Ilona Herman does fantastic work with the look of Cady from his slick hair to the tattoos on his body that features a lot of religious text and imagery. Sound editor Skip Lievsay does superb work with the sound in the way some of the quieter moments such as Danielle‘s meeting with Cady sounds like in its intimacy to the chilling moments in the film‘s climax. The film’s music largely consists of the film score Bernard Herrmann made for the 1962 film as it is adapted by Elmer Bernstein which does maintain that air of suspense and high drama as it proves anything that was used in the past can still be used again while the soundtrack would also feature music from Guns N‘ Roses and Aretha Franklin.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is wonderful as it features some notable small roles from Zully Montero as the Bowden’s family maid Graciella, Fred Dalton Thompson as Bowden’s law partner Tom Broadbent, Domenica Cameron-Scorsese as Danielle’s friend, Charles and Catherine Scorsese as a couple of fruit stand customers, and Martin Balsam in a terrific cameo appearance as a judge who would disbar Bowden early in the film’s third act. Illeana Douglas is fantastic as the law clerk Lori Davis who is rumored to be Bowden’s mistress until she has a meeting with Cady that would prove to be extremely ugly. Gregory Peck is excellent in his brief yet mesmerizing appearance as Cady’s attorney Lee Heller who would defend the man after an assault as he would have this passionate plea to disbar Bowden. Robert Mitchum is brilliant as Lt. Elgart as this police detective who realizes what is happening to Bowden and what Cady is doing as he sort of plays the film’s conscience in telling Bowden to not descend into darkness which is a surprise since Mitchum played Cady in the 1962 film. Joe Don Baker is amazing as Claude Kersek as a private detective who tries to see what Cady is up to while realizing that he is in the middle of a game where does whatever he can to stop Cady.
Juliette Lewis is incredible as Danielle as this 15-year old girl who deals with the chaos surrounding her family as she becomes intrigued by Cady and the books she is given until she realizes the severity of his terror. Jessica Lange is remarkable as Leigh Bowden as a wife/artist who deals with not just Cady’s presence but also the sins of her husband as she has a hard time trusting him. Nick Nolte is marvelous as Sam Bowden as an attorney who is terrorized by a man he was supposed to defend only to bury evidence that could’ve given Cady a lesser sentence as he tries to outwit Cady only to realize the flaws of himself. Finally, there’s Robert de Niro in a phenomenal performance as Max Cady where de Niro brings a charm that just exudes in every moment he is in as well as a sense of terror that is menacing as it one of de Niro’s most definitive performances.
Cape Fear is a sensational film from Martin Scorsese that features great performances from Robert de Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, and Juliette Lewis. In being an updated version of the 1962 film as well as a homage to that film, Scorsese creates a film that isn’t just a thriller that oozes with excitement and terror. It’s also a study of sin and what one man would do to make another man pay for his sins. In the end, Cape Fear is a riveting film from Martin Scorsese.
Related: Cape Fear (1962 film)
Martin Scorsese Films: (Who’s That Knocking on My Door?) - (Street Scenes) - Boxcar Bertha - (Mean Streets) - Italianamerican - Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore - Taxi Driver - New York, New York - American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince - (The Last Waltz) - Raging Bull - The King of Comedy - After Hours - The Color of Money - The Last Temptation of Christ - New York Stories-Life Lessons - Goodfellas - The Age of Innocence - (A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies) - (Casino) - (Kundun) - (My Voyage to Italy) - Bringing Out the Dead - (The Blues-Feel Like Going Home) - Gangs of New York - (The Aviator) - No Direction Home - The Departed - Shine a Light - Shutter Island - (A Letter to Elia) - (Public Speaking) - George Harrison: Living in the Material World - Hugo - The Wolf of Wall Street - (The 50 Year Argument) - Silence (2016 film) - (The Irishman) - Killers of the Flower Moon - (An Afternoon with SCTV)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the novel The Executioners by John D. MacDonald, Cape Fear is the story of a criminal who goes after the attorney who put him in prison while stalking the man’s family. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and screenplay by James R. Webb, the film is a revenge story of sorts from a man went to prison as he wants to go after the one who put him there as he plans to make the life of this man and his family a living hell. Starring Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Polly Bergen, Lori Martin, Telly Savalas, and Martin Balsam. Cape Fear is a gripping yet mesmerizing film from J. Lee Thompson.
The film is a simple story of a criminal who had just been released from prison after an eight-year sentence for rape where he decides to go after the attorney who put him in prison and make the life of the man and his family a living hell. In a way, it is a revenge story but it’s the antagonist that is seeking revenge though he is a man that is quite brutal in his actions as well as create a sense of discomfort to those he’s after. In some ways, the film is a battle of wits between this very devious and cunning criminal and an attorney who is about doing the right thing but finds himself on edge in protecting his family. Especially as the criminal in Max Cady (Robert Mitchum) has eyes for the attorney’s young daughter that just adds to the dramatic stakes for Sam Bowden (Gregory Peck) who turns to friends in the police department and a private detective for help but things however don’t go very well.
James R. Webb’s screenplay definitely plays into a battle of wits where Bowden knows who Cady is and what he did but doesn’t think Cady is a big threat at first. Yet, seeing him nearby and other incidents would force Bowden to try and see if Cady is really up to something with the aid of the police and the private detective Charlie Sievers (Telly Savalas). Even as there was an incident that Cady was involved in as Bowden, Sievers, and police chief Mark Dutton (Martin Balsam) realize that they can’t arrest him for. It adds to some of the psychological elements of the film where Cady’s presence would also bring terror to Bowden’s family life as it relates to his wife Peggy (Polly Bergen) and their 14-year old daughter Nancy (Lori Martin). It adds to the battle of wits and will between the two as Bowden realizes that money nor his own threats could stop Cady.
J. Lee Thompson’s direction is quite gripping for the way he sets the mood for much of the suspense in the film. Shot partially on location in Savannah, Georgia and Stockton, California with some of the interiors shot on soundstages at Universal Studios in Hollywood. The film does have the look of a film set in the American South where it does feel hot as well as bringing a sense of discomfort. While Thompson does put in some stylish shots such as a few slanted camera angles, low-angles, and other shots similar to film noir to set a mood for scenes of terror. Thompson also manages something straightforward with the way he frames his actors into a scene but also maintain something that is dramatic as it relates to the stakes of Cady’s threats. Even in a scene where Peggy tries to stop her husband from descending into Cady’s level to remind him that he has more to lose than Cady. The film’s climax at a river where Bowden’s houseboat is would be the ultimate battle in a game of wits and will but it also showcases what must be done. Especially as Thompson creates these moments that build up the tension and suspense as it goes into a great payoff towards the end. Overall, Thompson crafts a thrilling and intense film about a criminal trying to get revenge on the man that put him in prison.
Cinematographer Sam Leavitt does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography from the beautiful look of the scenes set in the day to the eerie mood for the scenes at night with its noir-like look in its shadows and shades. Editor George Tomasini does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward but also have these rhythmic touches that does a lot to play into the suspense and intense moments in the film. Art directors Robert F. Boyle and Alexander Golitzen, with set decorator Oliver Emert, do nice work with the look of a bar that Cady goes to as well as the scenes in the courtroom and the houseboat that Bowden owns.
Costume designer Mary Willis does terrific work with the costumes from the Panama hat and clothes that Cady wears to the more straight-laced look of Bowden as well as the dresses Peggy and Nancy wears. The sound work of Corson Jowett and Waldon O. Watson is superb for some of the eerie moments set in the film‘s climax at the river where its usage of natural sounds does so much to play into the suspense and terror. The film’s music by Bernard Herrmann is amazing as it is one of the film’s highlights as its orchestral-based score is filled with eerie string arrangements and themes that play into the drama as well as much of the suspense as it’s one of his best scores.
The film’s remarkable cast include some notable small roles from Joan Staley as a waitress Cady tries to flirt with at the bowling alley, Edward Platt as a judge, Will Wright as a doctor friend of Bowden, and Paul Comi as Bowden’s paralegal aide. Barrie Chase is wonderful as Diane Taylor as this woman Cady meets at a bar and flirts with only to be in for a night that she wouldn’t forget for all of the wrong reasons. Jack Kruschen is terrific as Cady’s lawyer who tries to ensure Cady’s innocence as well as get Bowden disbarred. Telly Savalas is fantastic as the private detective Charlie Sievers as a man who is asked by Bowden and Dutton to see if Cady is up to something where he would help Bowden out in a scheme to capture Cady for its climax. Martin Balsam is excellent as Bowden’s friend in police chief Mark Dutton as an authority figure who also knows Cady is up to something but also realizes how much trouble Bowden is getting himself into by trying to go after Cady.
Lori Martin is brilliant as Nancy as Sam and Peggy’s 14-year old daughter who is aware of what his happening as she would have her own frightening encounter with Cady where she also struggles with what he might do. Polly Bergen is amazing as Peggy Bowden as Sam’s wife who deals with the severity of what is happening as she tries to get her husband to see reason when he starts to fall apart while having her own terrifying encounter with Cady in the film’s climax. Robert Mitchum is phenomenal as Max Cady as a released convict who is hell-bent on getting revenge on Bowden as he’s a man that is very intelligent but also one that has a real grudge towards Bowden where it’s a role that has Mitchum be very evil but also in a way that is just fun to watch. Finally, there’s Gregory Peck in an incredible performance as Sam Bowden as a good-hearted attorney who copes with the presence of Cady as well as what Cady would do where he nearly descends into very dark areas as it’s one of Peck’s definitive performances as he and Mitchum have great rapport together in the scenes they’re both featured in.
Cape Fear is a spectacular film from J. Lee Thompson that features top-notch performances from Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum. Along with a great supporting cast, chilling moments of suspense, and Bernard Herrmann’s eerie score. The film isn’t just a thriller that manages to create a sense of discomfort and terror but a film that is about will and wits and how two men try to battle each other in a game of good vs. evil. In the end, Cape Fear is a tremendous film from J. Lee Thompson.
Related: Cape Fear (1991 film)
© thevoid99 2016
Based on the comic novel by Thomas Berger, Little Big Man is the story of a white man who was raised by the Cheyenne Indian nation since he was a child in the 19th Century as he deals with prejudices that Native Americans face during the Indian Wars in America. Directed by Arthur Penn and screenplay by Calder Willingham, the film is a revisionist western that mixes satire with elements of tragedy where a man deals with his identity as well as a world that doesn‘t make any sense. Starring Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Chief Dan George, Martin Balsam, Richard Mulligan, and Cal Bellini. Little Big Man is a whimsical yet engaging film from Arthur Penn.
The film is told from the perspective of a 121-year old man who recalls his life when he was raised by the Cheyenne Indians following the death of his parents in an ambush where he would eventually take on various roles in the course of life which would culminate in Battle of Little Big Horn. Yet, that 121-year old man would endure many prejudices and injustice in the course of his life as he is known as Jack Crabb (Dustin Hoffman) yet his Cheyenne name is Little Big Man as he is known for being small but with a big heart as he is raised by the wise yet eccentric Old Lodge Skins (Chief Dan George). Throughout the course of his life, he encounters a horny preacher’s wife in Mrs. Pendrake (Faye Dunaway), a swindling salesman named Meriweather (Martin Balsam), Wild Bill Hickok (Jeff Corey), and all sorts of individuals including General George Armstrong Custer (Richard Mulligan).
The film’s screenplay begins and ends with the elderly Crabb who tells his story to an interviewer (William Hickey) who starts doubting Crabb’s story until Crabb talks about everything he’s experienced. Though he would be raised by Old Lodge Skins and treated fairly by the tribe with the exception of a young Cheyenne in Young Bear (Cal Bellini) who would later owe a life debt to Crabb who saved his life. During a battle with the cavalry, Crabb would get wounded and later be sent to the world of the white where he would endure many adventures. One of which include marry a Swedish immigrant (Kelly Jean Peters) and later a Cheyenne woman named Sunshine (Aimee Eccles) along with her sisters. Still, he would also endure the atrocities that Armstrong and the cavalry would do where he would wait for some vengeance. At the same time, he also deals with the complications over the state of the world and questions into why Native Americans are being killed because they refuse to conform with the rest of society.
Arthur Penn’s direction is quite vast in terms of what he wanted to say about the American cavalry’s war with the Native Americans during the late 19th Century as it relates to some of the things that were happening in the Vietnam War. Much of it is played with humor and some dark humor as it is told from the perspective of a man stumbling around his surroundings as he would try to be religious, a gunslinger, aiding a crooked salesman, run a shop that goes wrong, and all of the things that white people do which makes him unhappy and desperate. Penn’s direction would include a lot of wide shots of the landscapes as much of it was shot in Montana along with some scenes in Alberta, Canada to play into that feel of the American West. It’s a world that is quite free whenever Crabb is with the Cheyenne though there’s moments that are quite absurd that includes the portrayal of General Custer. Custer is shown as an egotistical and offbeat lunatic who is so full of himself as he would be a sense of bafflement to everyone including his own soldiers.
The film would have some violent moments where Crabb watches the slaughters of women and children in the film as it would lead him to see Custer’s death happen. It’s aftermath would force Crabb to see that it would be a hollow victory as it would unveil a much bleaker future as the old Crabb would endure that sense of loss. Overall, Penn crafts a very sensational and provocative film about a man trying to find his identity as he endures prejudice and the horrors of humanity.
Cinematographer Harry Stradling Jr. does excellent work with the film’s cinematography from the colorful yet vibrant daytime exteriors of the desert and plain locations to the use of lighting for some of the interior scenes as well as some shots set at night. Editor Dede Allen does brilliant work with the editing with its use of jump-cuts and other rhythmic cuts to play into the film‘s humor and drama. Production designer Dean Tavoularis, with set decorator George R. Nelson and art director Angelo P. Graham, does amazing work with the design of the soda pop shop that Crabb and Mrs. Pendrake go to as well as the teepees that the Cheyenne tribe stays in.
Costume designer Dorothy Heakins does fantastic work with the design of the lavish dresses that Mrs. Pendrake wears as well as the gunslinger suit that Crabb would wear for a brief moment. Makeup designer Dick Smith does superb work with the makeup design to showcase Crabbe as an old man who would tell his story. The sound work of Bud Alper and Al Overton Jr. do terrific work with the sound to play into the sound of gunfire as well as some of the moments that goes on in the battle scenes. The film’s music by John Hammond is wonderful for its mixture of folk and blues to play into the film’s quirky humor as well as some of the darker moments such as the cavalry cadence numbers.
The casting by Gene Lasko is phenomenal as it features some notable small performances from William Hickey as the skeptical interviewer, Thayer David as the very cruel Reverend Pendrake, Ruben Moreno as the Cheyenne warrior Shadow That Comes in Sight who would take Crabb to the Cheyenne tribe, Robert Little Star as the flamboyant Little Horse, Carl Bellini as the very eccentric yet unfriendly warrior Young Shadow, Carole Androsky as Crabb’s older sister Caroline who had become a bandit, Alan Howard and Ray Dimas as the younger versions of Crabb, Kelly Jean Peters as Crabb’s Swedish wife Olga, and Aimee Eccles as the Cheyenne woman that Crabb saves and later marries in Sunshine. Jeff Corey is terrific as Wild Bill Hickok who learns about Crabb’s reputation as a gunslinger only to reveal to him what it takes to be a true gunslinger. Martin Balsam is excellent as the oily salesman Meriweather who uses his disability to swindle people and such as he would play into Crabb’s encounter with the world at its worst.
Richard Mulligan is brilliant as General George Armstrong Custer as this very off-the-wall individual who thinks so highly of himself to the point that he is this moron that is unaware of what is going to happen to him. Faye Dunaway is fantastic as Mrs. Pendrake as this wife of a preacher who falls for Crabb as she shows him the ways of temptation while later appearing as a woman trying to find herself. Chief Dan George is great as Old Lodge Skins as this Cheyenne chief that had seen it all as he would guide Crabb into the ways of life as well as the troubles of the ways of the white man. Finally, there’s Dustin Hoffman in a remarkable performance as the titular character/Jack Crabb as this white man who is raised by the Cheyenne as he tries to deal with his identity as well as the ways of the world as it’s a performance that has Hoffman be funny but also full of humility and bewilderment as a man that deals with the horrors of humanity.
Little Big Man is a marvelous film from Arthur Penn that features a riveting performance from Dustin Hoffman. It’s a film that showcases the world of the American West and some of the atrocities that happened to Native Americans where it’s told with some satirical humor and some dark moments. Overall, Little Big Man is a phenomenal film from Arthur Penn.
Arthur Penn Films: (The Left-Handed Gun) - (The Miracle Worker) - (Mickey One) - (The Chase (1966 film)) - (Bonnie & Clyde) - (Flesh and Blood (1968 film)) - (Alice’s Restaurant) - (Visions of Eight) - (Night Moves (1975 film)) - The Missouri Breaks - (Four Friends) - (Target (1985 film)) - (Dead of Winter) - (Penn & Teller Get Killed) - (The Portrait) - (Inside (1996 film))
© thevoid99 2014
